Curtain rod



March 31, 1931. c. E. BLAKELY CURTAIN ROD Filed June '7, 1928 .730 which is very simple,

Patented Mar. 31, 1931 OFFECE CLARENCE E. BLAKELY, OF UTE, ICWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILCBUR A.

BLAKE-LY, OF GRANT CENTER, IOWA CURTAIN ROD Application filed June 7, 1928. Serial No. 283,533.

My invention relates to curtain rods of the type disclosed in Patent No. 1,686,141, issued October 2, 1928, and it is my object in the present invention to provide a combinatlon curtain rod for holding both curtains and drapes.

More particularly, it is my object to provide a combination curtain rod including a main curtain rod and an auxiliary curtain 1o rod, the latter being readily detachable from the main curtain rod when the main curtain rod is detached from a window casing but being held in place when the main curtain rod is secured upon a window casing.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a combination curtain rod in which the auxiliary rod will telescope simultaneously with the main rod, being connected to the main rod in such a manner as to receive longitudinal pressure in either contracting or expanding direction therefrom.

A further object is to provide such a combination casing curtain rod, in which thepressure locking the main curtain rod and the telescoping of the same for adjustment on a casing will not be interfered with in any way by the presence of the auxiliary rod.

A further object is to provide a curtain rod having the foregoing characteristics and yet durable and inexpensive in construction.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: i

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the combination curtain rod, the central portions thereof being broken away and the casing to which the rod is attached being shown in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the main rod brackets taken as indicated by the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line side arms Fig. 5 is a longitudinal, sectional View through the device at one end.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal, sectional view through the intermediate portions of the device.

Combination curtain rods, in which one rod serves to support drapes and another rod serves to support the curtains, are probably old and it is not my intention to claim broadly such a combination. Most of the existing types of rods, however, embody separate brackets, adapted to be secured to a window casing, the rods proper being received upon these brackets and, asfar as I am aware, the rod members are formed separately and are 5 not adapted to be adjusted simultaneously.

I have discovered that it is possible to embody a double rod construction in a curtain rod of the type disclosed in my co-pending application, the rod members being so attached together that they can be adjusted simultaneously without interfering with the action of locking under pressure.

This is accomplished by mounting the auxliiary rod member between the side arms of '15 the main rod member and securing it to the side arms so as to receive support and longitudinal pressure therefrom. Another necessary element to achieve this result exists in forming the auxiliary telescoping rod members Without any locking means, so that they may slide freely relative to each other. It is also essential to this result that the locking members be formed on the outside rod.

In Fig. 1, I have indicated a window casing at 10. The main curtain rod has the outer telescoping member 11 and the inner telescoping member 12, each of which is bent, as at 13, to form the transversely disposed 14c. The rod members are C shaped in cross section, as shown in Fig. 2. In this connection, it will be noted that the word tubular is use throughout the speciiications and claims to indicate anytypeof curtain rod members, whether completely inclosed or open at one side, as in the drawings, whether round, oval, or rectangularin cross section. The only requirement imposed by the word tubular is that the rod members be at least partially inclosed on both sides.

The brackets or clamping jaws 15 are L shaped in horizontal cross section and are secured to the side arms 14, as by means of tongues 16, received in the open ends of the sine arms and frictionally held by the outer walls thereof. It will be understood that the jaws might be formed integrally with the side arms 14. However, the detachable bracket construction has the advantage that bracket-s may be replaced, should they become bent or broken.

The small teeth 17 correspond to the friction elements disclosed in my co-pending application and are merely for the purpose of preventing slipping of the jaws 15 when the latter are held tightly against the ends of the casing 10.

The rod member 11 is provided with a fun gerlS, adapted to engage any one of a large number of openings 19 in the rod member 12 and is adapted to be locked into particular openings by bending pressure, created in the rod members 11 and 12 by outward pressure of the casing 10 against the jaws 15, as in my co-pending application.

The auxiliary rod comprises the outer rod member 20 and the inner rodmember 21, which are also tubular, A referably (3 shaped in cross section. The rod members 20 and 21 are bent as at 22 to form transversely disposed side l l. The side arms 23 are bent at right angles to form the members 24: which extend from the ends of the side arms in directions parallel to the members 20 and 21 and these are thence bent in directions reverse to the side arms 23, to form tongues 25. The tongues 25 are received in the open ends of the side arms H, within the G shaped tongues 16 of the brackets 15, whereby the rod members 20 and 21 are supported between the side arms 11 and adapted to receive and transmit either pulling or pushing of pressure from the rod members 11 and 12 to the rod members 20 and 21, respectively.

It will be noted, by reference to Fig. 1, that the members 2 1 engage the casing 10 when the curtain rod is in place on the easing. Thus the casing serves to lock the auxiliary rod against removal when the curtain rod is not installed. When the curtain rod is removed from the casing, the tongues 25 may be instantly withdrawn from the side arms 14.

The auxiliary rod serves to support the curtains and the main rod supports the drapes, the latter being outside of the former. Bypositioning the main rod with the locking means outside. of the auxiliary rod, the side arms 1%, in which the tension is generated for placing the members 11 and 12 under bending strain, are at the outside where they may be easily grasped by the arms 23, similar to the side arms hands of the operator and where the pressure may be more readily applied to the jaws 15. I find that it is easier to bend the outer rod toward the inner rod in securing bending strain for locking than to bend the inner rod from the outer rod. By the arrangement shown, the auxiliary rod slides simultaneously with the main rod without interfering with the locking of the latter.

Some chan es may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a main pair of telescoping curtain rod members, provided at their outer ends with open ended, tubular side arms mounted on clamping jaws adapted to engage the ends of a casing member, that telescoping members being provided with an inter-engaging linger and series of spaced elements adapted to interlock at any one of a series of positions and to thereby create a tension between the bracket members when the clamping jaws are in engagement with said casing member, resulting in bending strains in said rod elements, such as to create pressure of the clamping aws against the ends of said casing member sufficient to permanently support the device, and a pair of auxiliary telescoping rod members secured at their ends to said side arms, supported therebetween in spaced relation to the main rod members and between the latter and the window casing and freely slidable relative to each other so as to telescope simultaneously with the main rod members, without interfering with the locking, unlocking, or telescoping of the latter, said auxiliary rod members being provided with tongues received within the tubular side arms, the side arms being positioned transversely to the direction of the telescoping portions of the rod members, whereby said tongues may transmit longitudinal movement to the auxiliary rod members from the side arms.

2. In a device of the class described, a main pair of telescoping curtain rod members of the type which is tubular in cross section, each member being bent at its end to form an integral tubular, transversely disposed side arm having open end, brackets on said side arms, adapted to engage a casing, and offset from said open ends, the latter being positioned between the brackets, an auxiliary pair of telescoping rod members and tongues on said rod members, transversely disposed and received in the tubular side arms, whereby said tongues may trans- (ill mit longitudinal movement to the auxiliary rod members from the side arms.

3. In a device of the class described, a main pair of telescoping curtain rod members of the type which is tubular in cross section, each member being bent at its end to form an integral, tubular, transversely disposed, side arm having an open end, brackets on said side arms, adapted to engage a casing, and offset from said open ends, the latter being positioned between the brackets, an auxiliary pair of telescoping rod members, bent at their ends to form integral, transversely disposed, auxiliary side arms, and tongues on said auxiliary side arms, bent transversely thereto and received in the first mentioned tubular side arms, whereby said tongues may transmit longitudinal movement to the auxiliary rod members from the side arms.

4. In a device of the class described, a main pair of telescoping curtain rod members of the type which is tubular in cross section, each member being bent at its end to form an integral, tubular, transversely disposed, side arm having an open end, brackets on said side arms, adapted to engage a casing, and ofiset from said open ends, the latter being positioned between the jaws, an auxiliary pair of telescoping rod members, bent at their ends to form integral, transversely disposed, auxiliary side arms, and tongues on said auxiliary side arms, bent transversely thereto and received in the first mentioned tubular side arms, whereby said tongues may transmit longitudinal movement to the auxiliary rod members from the side arms, the auxiliary rod members being retained against removal from the main rod members by the casing to which the clamping jaws are attached.

5. In a device of the class described, a main pair of telescoping curtain rod members, each being bent at its end to form an integral, transversely disposed side arm, brackets on said side arms adapted to engage a casing, an auxiliary pair of telescoping rod members, each bent at its end to form an integral, transversely disposed, auxiliary side arm and a member connecting the end of each auxiliary side arm to the end of the corresponding main side arm positioned parallel to the main rod members engage the face of the casing.

6. In a device of the class described, a main pair of telescoping curtain rod members, each being bent at its end to form an integral, transversely disposed side arm, clamping jaws on said side arms adapted to engage a casin g, an auxiliary pair of telescoping rod mem bers, each bent at its end to form an integral, transversely disposed, auxiliary side arm and a member connecting the end of each auxiliary side arm to the end of the corresponding main side arm positioned parallel to the main rod members and adapted to engage the face of the casing, one of the side and adapted to arms at each end of the curtain rod assembly being tubular and said member which connects the adjacent side arms being provided with a tongue receivable in said tubular side arm for the purpose of detachably connecting the main and auxiliary rods.

Signed this 21st day of May, 1928, in the county of vVoodbury and State of Iowa.

CLARENCE E. BLAKELY. 

